A Question to all You Beachhunters ?????????

rockyredbaron

Hero Member
Jul 20, 2005
846
101
Texas
Detector(s) used
Garrett GTAx 1000 and Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have an MXT and would love to do some beach hunting...coastal and fresh water lakes as well. I've asked several folks short of calling Whites Electronics directly (which is what I may have to do), but wanted to get some input from all my TNetters first !!!! Is there a way to use my MXT and be productive with finding some good stuff ??? I have a stock coil, 4X6 and a 10X6 as well. Any help is appreciated.


Rockyredbaron

HH to all
 

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DaChief

Bronze Member
Sep 16, 2007
1,035
36
Middle Tennessee
Detector(s) used
-------(Water)------- Garrett Infinium (Relic and Coin) Minelab Sov. Elite
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All Treasure Hunting
Your MXT will do the job fine in Freshwater with no adjustments to the settings. Just like on land when hunting shallow water or wet sand. I used my White's Spectrum back in the day and just put a gallon zip lock bag over the control box to prevent splashed water from getting in. I drowned the thing a couple of times by accident but after it air dried for a couple of days, I was right back in action.

Salt water beaches will present a problem with the MXT but nothing you can't overcome. You will find on the dry sand that it does well with no adjustments needed. Once you get into the wet sand or shallow surf, you will have to adjust the sensitivity down. You can play with it until you get it right. At a normal setting, you will hear what everyone calls falsing. It sounds like someone with a similar detector is hunting right next to you. Frequent beeps for no reason. Just start turning down the sensitivity until it goes away. Try to only turn it down enough to just make it disappear. You should still have some pretty good depth even after you have to adjust.

Remember salt water does some severe damage so protect everything but the coil and shaft well. One good dose of Salt Water and your MXT could be done for unless you get is torn down and flushed well.

You can hunt in a relatively calm surf at knee deep comfortably. I would fashion a tether on your machine that you can hang on your neck or shoulders that keeps the machine out of the water in case you lose your grip.

P.S. You can pick up a good used fresh water machine on the cheap on EBAY and Craigslist. Just look frequently and stay with name brands.

DaChief!
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,464
54,909
Florida
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Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
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Something else to remember if your hunting saltwater beaches is the salt spray in the air, many people don't think about it. If your going to hunt saltwater beaches I highly recommend you cover the controls with a clear see through baggie like a gallon zip lock bag....
 

Buried Crap NJ

Hero Member
Dec 5, 2009
654
232
New Jersey
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030, Minelab Excalibur II, Minelab GT,Compass XP-Pro,Fischer 1210X
Primary Interest:
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Hi,You made me think of an item I bought several years ago. It was a demo at a RC plane show. The guy took a servo for RC radio. He took it apart sprayed this stuff on it hooked it to the radio and while still apart placed it in a fish tank. It worked fine underwater. He said you can water proof any electronics this way. Now I have to go find this stuff I bought 3 bottles. I could do my land detectors for the rain and beach. I'll report back when I get to the shop and find it. steve
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,464
54,909
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
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Buried Crap NJ said:
Hi,You made me think of an item I bought several years ago. It was a demo at a RC plane show. The guy took a servo for RC radio. He took it apart sprayed this stuff on it hooked it to the radio and while still apart placed it in a fish tank. It worked fine underwater. He said you can water proof any electronics this way. Now I have to go find this stuff I bought 3 bottles. I could do my land detectors for the rain and beach. I'll report back when I get to the shop and find it. steve

A servo only cost a few dollars, good luck, but no way I would take a $800-$1000 land detector, spray it and then take it under water thinking it is protected........
 

cdltpx

Sr. Member
Jul 6, 2009
344
12
Galvez La 70769
Detector(s) used
ACE 250/2 coils BH 2 coils/ Garrett pinpointer.
I was thinking of getting some shrink wrap and appling it to the 250 when I change the batteries just change the shrink wrap. That could save the machine from water salt moisture.
 

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
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As DaChief said the MXT will do fine at the beaches dry sand and special settings will be needed for the wet besides covering the controls with a plastic baggie to keep off the salt spray. If you take the coil underwater don't raise the coil higher than the controls as any water in the shaft will travel up the shaft into the controls or batteries.
 

Buried Crap NJ

Hero Member
Dec 5, 2009
654
232
New Jersey
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030, Minelab Excalibur II, Minelab GT,Compass XP-Pro,Fischer 1210X
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Treasure_Hunter said:
Buried Crap NJ said:
Hi,You made me think of an item I bought several years ago. It was a demo at a RC plane show. The guy took a servo for RC radio. He took it apart sprayed this stuff on it hooked it to the radio and while still apart placed it in a fish tank. It worked fine underwater. He said you can water proof any electronics this way. Now I have to go find this stuff I bought 3 bottles. I could do my land detectors for the rain and beach. I'll report back when I get to the shop and find it. steve

A servo only cost a few dollars, good luck, but no way I would take a $800-$1000 land detector, spray it and then take it under water thinking it is protected........
If my post made you think you could water proof an land detector to go completely under water I did not mean that. I meant water proof from a splash! While I give you a having a pucker factor in spraying this on a 800 to 1000 dollar item. You can't take away the fact that,if it works on a 10 dollar item what makes you think it won't work on the other more expensive item.steve
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,464
54,909
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Buried Crap NJ said:
If my post made you think you could water proof an land detector to go completely under water I did not mean that. I meant water proof from a splash! While I give you a having a pucker factor in spraying this on a 800 to 1000 dollar item. You can't take away the fact that,if it works on a 10 dollar item what makes you think it won't work on the other more expensive item.steve

BC,

All I said was I personally would never try it on a $1000 land detector, for one it would void any warranty left on the detector. Why take a chance ruining a $1000 land detector when I can buy a a top of the line water detector used for $600, it is already waterproof, use it for 2 years and then sell it for what I paid for it, and not cost me a dime........

Good luck with what ever way you choose..... :icon_thumright:
 

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
cdltpx said:
I was thinking of getting some shrink wrap and appling it to the 250 when I change the batteries just change the shrink wrap. That could save the machine from water salt moisture.

This will save it from salt spray, but not condensation from the air inside and around the detector. The condensation can also cause your detector to become unstable. Better to either use plastic baggie like Treasure Hunter suggested which is open at the bottom to allow air to circulate. Or get a real water proof detector. Think of detectors as tools, one for each type of job or hunt. Besides it is more fun with more than one. :thumbsup:
 

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